Of Love and War and Something Called a Lycan
by the-dark-knightess
Summary: As the 1st female Lycan, things weren't going to be easy for Vera. She was to be a different type of slave than the others, but Lucian just happened to get thrown into her cell on the eve of his rebellion, and it didn't take much to convice her. oc/sabas
1. Chapter 1

The day I found out that I was going to be sent to Viktor's castle as a slave was a day that would forever change my life. I had served the lord of this bit of land loyally for the entire 19 years of my life, but one day, he simply decided that I was just another mouth to feed. He was supposed to be taking his annual offering of male servants to Viktor that day, and I was told that I was going along just before being forced out of my house, having my hands shackled, and a bag put over my head. I was chained to one of two chains that were connected to the wagon destined for the castle. I almost shouted for joy when a very deep, familiar voice whispered, "Vera?"

"Raze!" I hissed. "You were picked for the offering this year?"

"Yes. Why have they chained you?"

"They said I was to be offered to Viktor."

"As what? He asks for only men."

"I don't know." The wagon then lurched forward, pulling us roughly along. "Raze, I'm frightened," I admitted.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you, just like I've always done."

It was true. Raze had been my protector from the day that my mother died giving birth to me. He had been good friends with my father, and just before my father died of illness, Raze had promised to look after his little girl. Every man in our little town feared Raze, so none of them ever even thought of touching me. "Raze?" I whispered.

"Hm?"

"How long is this journey?"

"We will most likely be there by nightfall."

Nightfall. I had only one day before the unknown enveloped me. No offering that went to Viktor's castle ever came back. We never heard from them again.

They made us walk all day with no stops. I was certain that my feet were going to break off when suddenly, we halted. I could hear horses snorting nervously, and the people around me were shuffling their feet, sensing the tense atmosphere. A group of horses ran in, and a woman called out something that I couldn't quite decipher. After another moment's silence, everything erupted into chaos. A horse screamed very near to me, and I instinctively jumped away from it, colliding with Raze. He grabbed a hold of my arm, attempting to keep me out of harm's way. I heard a loud snarl, and it abruptly occurred to me what was attacking. It was the fabled wolves of the forest. Wolves unlike any we had ever seen. Wolves that had once been human, but were bitten by another of their kind. Lycans.

Battle was going on all around me, and I couldn't see a thing. Suddenly, the bag was torn from my head. Raze stood before me, also missing the bag. "Stay behind me!" he cried. I did as he requested, watching. A single horseman rode in and dove from his animal onto one of the wolves. A woman rode around cutting wolves down right and left. Everywhere I looked, wolves were pouring from the woods. One was actually headed right towards me, and Raze hadn't noticed it. I leaned down and grabbed up the sword of a fallen soldier. When I stood back up, I screamed because the wolf was right on me. I managed to parry its strike, then thrust the sword through a gap in its defense, skewering it. It fell down and moved no more. After that, I felt a little more confident, and I started fighting the wolves as they came. The chain holding me to the wagon had been broken, so I was free to move about. I had slain two more wolves when suddenly, the man I had seen ride in, yanked off some metal collar and transformed himself. He, too, was a Lycan. He roared, and then, all the others stopped. They stared at him for a moment, then they simply ran back into the woods.

I looked between the woman who was on the ground beside him, and the newly transformed Lycan. She was a little frightened, but more shocked than anything. One of the other soldiers chose that moment to shoot a couple arrows into his back. "No! Don't!" she ordered. The Lycan faded back into human form, and the woman yanked out the arrows as more horses rode in. A very intimidating man dismounted and stalked over. The woman rose to her feet and declared, "He did it to save me!"

The man ignored her, gazing angrily down at the Lycan. "Am I not master of this house?" That's when it hit me. This man was Viktor. He hit the Lycan across the face. "You knew that you were forbidden to remove the collar?"

"Yes," the other man responded quietly.

"And yet you break my law after I gave you your life. Your days of plush living are over, slave!" He hit him again.

The woman protested, "Father, stop it! I..."

"HOLD YOUR TONGUE!" Viktor roared. "You have defied me for the last time. Get her out of here," he said to his men. She stuck her nose in the air and walked away with the guards while others came and grabbed up the Lycan, carrying him away as well. Viktor then turned to us. "Pity," he said. "Only a few survived." When his gaze fell on me, it faltered. "What's this?" He quickly crossed to me and put a hand under my chin, forcing me to look up into his glowing blue eyes. "A girl?" he spat. "What use do I have of a girl? Kill her."

I thought that Raze was going to break the shackles off his hands through the power of sheer anger, but one of the guards said, "My lord, wait." Viktor looked over at him, allowing him a moment to speak. "We've never turned a female before. She could be an experiment. Perhaps, were she to mate with one of the slaves, she would produce one of their kind. It is an alternative to our method."

Viktor turned back to me, looking me over analytically. "An interesting thought, Kraven," he said. "Very well. We'll see what she can do." He left me alone and looked around at the carnage left behind by the ambush. "Burn the bodies! All of them."

After that, all of us servants that were left alive were herded up to the castle. As I walked through the gate, I marveled at the place. It was daunting in terms of size and defense. There were huge crossbows set on the top of the wall with arrows so large they might as well be called spears. There were armored guards everywhere, many of them with the same blue eyes of their master. Once I had gotten over the dark grandeur, I noticed the slaves. All of them had on the same collar as the Lycan that saved us in the woods. The only conclusion I could come to was this: they were all Lycans. Just before I was shoved down some stairs to where I couldn't see, I saw some of the guards tying up the Lycan that saved us. It appeared that punishment was about to be delivered.

They took us down into the extensive dungeon and put us in cells. They put all of the men in one, then shoved me in an empty one next to them. "Wouldn't want you spoiled," one of the guards laughed as he unlocked my shackles.

Once they were gone, I went to the bars that adjoined mine and Raze's cell. He met me there. "Are you hurt?" he asked.

"No. You?"

"No."

We both fell silent when a group of 6 slaves were put into the cell on the other side of mine. I watched them apprehensively, hoping they wouldn't start up any taunts or anything. They didn't. As a matter of fact, all of them seemed too weary to do much of anything. I walked away from Raze's cell, choosing to simply sit with my back to the wall and my arms wrapped around my knees. Guards brought some sponges filled with water as our source of liquid. I accepted mine silently, but sat it aside, hoping to save it.

It was about half an hour later that three guards, two of them carrying a limp body, came over, opened the door to my cell, and tossed the body in. I retreated out of the way and waited until they were gone to approach him. It was the savior Lycan. His back was bloody and mangled from the intense whipping he had apparently received. Very tentatively, I knelt beside him and rolled him gently onto the one blanket that was in the cell. Then, I grabbed my water sponge and squeezed some into his barely responsive mouth. "Stay away from him," one of the slaves told me, "or they'll punish you too." I glanced over at him, meeting eyes with the one behind him. Quickly, I looked away for fear of betraying the blushing in my cheeks. He was honestly one of the cutest guys I had ever encountered.

I wrapped up the man in my cell and put some of the straw bedding under his head, then I slid into the corner opposite him. My back was now to the door, and I was closer to the cell with the slaves in it. I just kind of stared at the unconscious man on the floor, wondering what had possessed him to remove that collar. It was clearly a requirement. Then, I thought about how the wolves had fallen back before him and deferred to his roar. Who was he?

I almost jumped out of my skin when the slave I had met eyes with plopped down next to me in his cell. "Oh. Sorry," he murmured. "I didn't mean to scare you." I nodded shortly. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Vera," I whispered back hoarsely. "And yours?"

"Sabas," he answered. The man on the floor groaned and stirred a little, drawing both of our gazes for a moment. When he didn't wake up, Sabas turned back to me. He noted my fearful expression and said, "You don't have to worry. He won't hurt you."

"How do you know?"

"I know him. He's the most honorable of all of us."

"Who is he?"

"His name is Lucian. He's the blacksmith."

"Oh."

"So, tell me; Viktor has never kept a girl around before; what makes you so special?"

"I have no idea," I replied. "Someone named Kraven suggested something about me being an experiment. Mating with the slaves was mentioned, and since I'm assuming you're all Lycans, it must be something to do with whether or not they can produce a Lycan through conception and not just by bite."

"Well, you're quite insightful for a serving girl. Why do you think we're all Lycans?"

"You all wear the collar. It was only after he removed it that Lucian transformed out in the woods tonight."

He smiled. "And you're right."

"Why does the collar keep you from transforming?"

"Feel." He leaned close, offering a bit of his collar for me to touch. Softly, I reached through the bars and ran my fingers along the inside of the collar, trying very hard to ignore the fact that the back of them was brushing his neck.

"There's spikes on the inside," I deduced.

He nodded as I reclaimed my hand. "Makes for a painful change."

"I would think so." We fell silent for a moment, then I asked, "How long have you been here?"

He half-heartedly chuckled and answered, "You don't want to know that."

"You're right. I don't want to know how long I'm going to be kept here, forced to sleep with a different servant over and over until our captors get what they want." I had done quite well at keeping a strong face so far, but having said that, a few tears leaked out of my eyes.

"Hey," he said softly, reaching through the bars to take my hand. "Maybe they won't make it be a different one every time."

"What, they'll ask me if there's one I prefer? Don't get my hopes up."

"It'll most likely be Lucian. He's considered the best, I suppose. Viktor has always treated him nicer than the rest of us."

I looked over at Lucian's form on the ground, assessing whether or not I could mentally accept him as a sex partner. His body was enough to drool over, and his face wasn't too bad. Really, he was very good looking. That covered mentally. Emotional acceptance would have to be determined when he woke up and I had a chance to talk with him a bit. "You really think it'll be him?"

"I'm almost certain of it."

"Well, you don't sound very happy about it."

He shrugged. "I hope you'll forgive me for being frank, but you're the first girl I've talked to in years. I think it's only fair to say that I'm a bit jealous that Lucian is going to get to spend time with you."

"Spend time with me," I sighed. "That's a kind euphemism."

"I don't just mean the sex. I mean all the stuff before and after. Talking to you, looking at you, catching a whiff of your scent when you walk in the room...that stuff."

I smiled a little. "What are we doing now? In case you haven't noticed, you're still holding my hand." He glanced down and quickly withdrew his hand, obviously a little embarrassed. "I didn't say it bothered me," I murmured.

He met my gaze and grinned. "No, you didn't, did you?" He laced his fingers through mine again without another word. I leaned back against the stone corner of the cell, fighting the urge to sleep. I had no idea how long I had in the general safety of this cell. I should at least try to enjoy the company while I could. "You look exhausted," he noted.

"Well, we walked all day to get here. I'm definitely not at my full capacity."

"I should let you sleep, then. You'll need your strength in the days to come."

He tried to move away, but I held tight to his hand. "Don't go," I said. "Your presence is comforting to me."

"Now, why on earth would you feel that way?" he said with a smile. "I'm just a Lycan."

"For starters, you're warm. Also, just having someone close while I sleep will make sleeping easier."

He settled back down, closer to the bars, and renewed the hold he had on my hand. "Alright, then. I'll stay."

As I situated myself, trying to get comfortable, I said, "Sabas, it's nice to meet you."

Once I had settled and closed my eyes, he replied, "It was nice to meet you, too."


	2. Chapter 2

When I woke up, Sabas and the others were gone. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, looking around for them a little dumbly. "They've been taken out for a work shift," a quiet voice informed me. "He'll be back soon." The source was Lucian, slightly propped up against the wall, still wrapped in the blanket. I didn't answer. "Forgive me, but when I woke up, you and Sabas were just about as unconscious as I had been, and I saw how your hands were joined through the bars. It was a pleasant sight in this place of oppression."

I cleared my throat and replied, "He was comforting me and I fell asleep. It's nothing."

"Huh. Nothing." I gave him a disparaging look and curled a little deeper into the corner. Raze and the others were all still sleeping. After a moment, Lucian went on, "I saw what you did out there in the woods. Very brave. Very human. Have you come across them before?"

"Only in stories," I said weakly.

"Were you not afraid of them?"

"Yes...but I wanted to live."

Gently, he asked, "Are you afraid of me?"

My eyes glided over to him. He was watching me closely, waiting for the answer. "Yes," I whispered.

"Well, do not be. I will not bite...much."

Against my will, a smile spread across my face. He smiled too, and it lessened the tension a little. "You are like them?" I said.

"No," he responded quickly, his smile disappearing. "A Lycan, yes, but not like them. Those you fought with tonight were animals, thus born of William. Pure bloods, if you will. No trace of human left. Savage, mindless beasts...as it has been told."

"But I saw you!" I leaned forward a little, almost reluctant to say, "They obeyed you."

He stared at me for a minute before finally answering, "Yes. Yes, they did."

I could tell that he was about as clueless about this as I was, so I changed the subject. "How's your back?"

"Mending."

"It looked very bad when they threw you in here. Let me look at it."

"Really, you don't need to."

"Please...it'll give me something to do besides think about my future." He pursed his lips and nodded, so I crawled over to him and helped him sit up. I was shocked at what I saw. Many of the marks that had been deep cuts not four hours ago were now simply red whelps. Gently, I ran my fingertips along some of them. "When you said mending, I did not take that at full value."

He chuckled. "I didn't think you did."

"Is there any water left in that sponge?" I asked.

"A little."

"Give it here. I want to wash these a little." He handed me the sponge, and I began tenderly washing away the grime around the cuts that were still open.

"What's your name?" he asked as I worked.

"Vera. You are Lucian. Sabas told me earlier."

"Yes, I am Lucian."

"Well, I'm very glad to have met you."

"And I you. I apologize, but I must ask. Why are you here? Viktor has never taken in female servants before."

"Um...I...well, basically, I think they are going to use me as a "let's see if we can breed Lycans as well as just create them" sort of experiment. I was under the impression that I will be turned by bite, and then I will be forced to sleep with slaves to see if I can conceive a Lycan."

"That's terrible."

"Sabas said that they will most likely use you as the father," I added awkwardly.

He nodded. "It's not unthinkable. Assuming they even let me out of here." Much to my horror, my hands actually started shaking while thinking about it all. He could feel it on his back, so he said, "I'm not sure what I can tell you to make it better. If it is me...it will not be easy for either of us. You see, my heart belongs to someone."

"Does it? Who?"

"Can you keep a secret?" he said very very quietly. I nodded, leaning closer to hear. "Viktor's daughter, Sonja. The woman you saw in the woods."

"The only part that surprises me is the Viktor's daughter part. I knew there was something between you and that woman, I just had no idea she was his daughter. Aren't you frightened that he'll find out?"

"I try not to think about it."

"Yes...I suppose that would be best. So, if we are forced together...can we fake and simply claim that I'm barren?"

He sighed, "Only if you want to die. If you become useless to Viktor, he'll kill you."

"Oh...well, that makes things a little more difficult."

"Yes, it does. You never know, maybe they won't choose me. It could be anyone."

"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I'd prefer you over anyone. I've at least got some kind of connection with you...and you're not bad looking."

He grinned. "Thank you. You might even get to choose."

"Sabas said something like that." He just kept grinning. I quickly read into his motive and rebuked, "I just met him!"

"You just met me," he retorted.

"It's different!"

"Why? Because you actually are attracted to him, and you want to do it right. Me, I can be your one night only, but Sabas..."

"Just shut up!" I muttered.

"Vera, you fell asleep holding his hand the day you met him."

"So? These are very distressing times! He was just being helpful." I somewhat purposely pressed too hard on one of his wounds and he winced. "So sorry," I snipped.

He chuckled, "I like you already."

"Well, good. Who knows how long we're going to have to share this cell. The least we can do is like each other."

Just as I finished this statement, Sabas and his cellmates were returned. I jumped away from Lucian, hoping that the guards hadn't seen me helping him. They said nothing of it as they deposited the slaves, then left. As I knelt back down, the same one who had told me not to help him teased, "Look there. Lucian has himself his own personal nurse."

I scowled at him as Lucian said, "Now, now, Xristo. She's just trying to be nice." I could feel Sabas' eyes on me, but I couldn't bring myself to meet them. "So," Lucian continued, "how was work?"

They all groaned and complained for a bit, meanwhile I finished cleaning Lucian's wounds and backed away from him. Raze finally woke up, so I went over to talk to him. "How are you?" I asked.

"I'm alright. How are you?"

"Fine. A little frightened of what the future holds, but still holding strong, just like you taught me."

He smiled and put a hand on my shoulder through the bars. "You're a good girl, Vera."

I returned the smile. "I've made a couple friends."

"Yes, I saw you talking to that one over there earlier. I suppose you've also made a friend of your cell mate?"

"I have."

"Good. Now, if I might suggest something..." I nodded, "...go over there and talk to that guy you were talking to before."

"Why?"

"He's staring at you."

I rolled my eyes. "Really?" He nodded. "What did I get myself into?"

"A relationship where he adores you?"

"He doesn't adore me. He just hasn't been this close to a woman in years."

"Hmm, well, that could be true. Still, you've nothing better to do."

"Point taken," I conceded. "Besides," I added with a glance over my shoulder, "he is cute." Raze chuckled deeply and gently pushed me towards the other side of the cell. As I made my way over, I glanced down at Lucian who grinned up at me knowingly. I gave him a 'keep your mouth shut' look and kept going.

When Sabas saw me coming, for he had apparently decided to stop staring at me when I turned back around, he smiled quietly to himself and weaved his way through his companions to meet me at the bars. "Hi," he said when we got there.

"Hey," I answered, still very unsure about how I felt about all this.

"I'm sorry I left you, but they..."

"Came and made you work. Lucian told me."

He nodded, and a somewhat awkward silence followed. "So, was Lucian good company?"

Smiling, I nodded. "He was very good company. We managed to discuss the likelihood of our being forced to sleep together rather objectively."

"What did you decide? Will you be able to do it?"

"If it is Lucian...it'll be easier than if it is not. But that doesn't mean it'll be at all easy either."

"No, I should think not."

I waited a beat, then asked, "You're not still jealous, are you?"

He leaned on the bars, getting just about as close to me as he possibly could, smiled a little, and replied, "Of course I am."

I looked away and grinned. When I turned back, I said, "Why are you so kind to me? No man but Raze and my father has been kind to me before."

He shrugged, thinking his answer through thoroughly. "I just kind of thought you needed a friend."

"Well, I appreciate it." Slowly, I slid down to the floor, plopping down right where I had been standing. He followed suit. I crossed my legs, then leaned on my knees. "So, Sabas...tell me a little about you."

"Hm...what to tell? Basically, I was exactly what you are. An offering to Viktor as a slave."

"Before that. Where did you live? Did you have family? A girlfriend?"

"Oh, you have put a great strain on my memory."

"Surely it was not that long ago. You look no older than your early thirties."

"Ah, but when given immortality...aging tends to slow down a great deal."

"Oh...well, try to remember then."

He nodded. "I was born an only child to two servants on an estate on the eastern side of this country, or whatever it is. I grew up learning to be a soldier, and then, on my 31st birthday, I was roughly shackled to a wagon and dragged here. Within two days, I was a Lycan. Yes, I had a girlfriend, and I'm sure she has long since forgotten me if she isn't dead."

"You never know," I cut in. "She may have thought about you every day since you left. I'm sure I would've if it had been me...and I can't believe I really just said that."

"I'm glad you did," he said softly. "It lightened my heart a bit."

Before we could continue, the woman from the woods, Sonja, came running up to mine and Lucian's cell door. Lucian leapt to his feet and met her there. Sabas and I exchanged a silent glance of surprise and concern. Though he was obviously happy she was there, Lucian told her, "You should not be here!"

"I had to!" she replied. "My love, I'm sorry!"

"No, don't. I'm alright."

"This is all my fault. If I hadn't gone out..."

"Then you would not be who you are," he interrupted. He put a hand through the bars and gently touched her face. "This is not your fault." There was a slight sound from outside and they both paused, looking for the source. When nothing appeared, Lucian continued, "I cannot stay here. I have to leave this place."

"But my father will be watching you now more than ever."

"What about your Death Dealers. Are there none that you can trust?"

She shook her head. "Unfortunately, their loyalty to my father is greater than their loyalty to me."

"Tanis."

"Tanis cannot be trusted!"

"No, Tanis, he knows about us." Some guards walked through a corridor, and they both glanced over nervously. The guards, however, didn't notice them.

When they were gone, Sonja hissed, "How?"

"I have no idea, but if he still has not told your father then that must mean he wants something. Sonja, find out what it is!" She nodded and quickly disappeared.

I watched her go then turned back to Sabas. I didn't want to mention what just happened because I was sure that Lucian would hear, and I didn't want to offend him by talking about it. A sudden thought occurred to me, and I decided to share it with Lucian, so I spun around and said, "I hope you think about her if we're forced together. I'd love to be that pretty in someone's eyes, even if it is only temporary."

He grinned. "Well, let us hope we won't even have to bother with it. And you are very pretty as you are."

"You don't have to flatter me, Lucian."

"He's not," Sabas filled in quietly.

Lucian nodded. "There, see? He knows I'm right."

I scowled at both of them. "How dare you team up against me," I demanded. They both laughed.

About an hour later, Sabas and I had taken a break from talking, and I had set up camp in the corner closest to Raze's cell and farthest from the door. Lucian was leaning against the door-frame for lack of anything productive to do, and Raze was leaning on the bars above me. Vampire guards brought food to the people in Sabas' cell, and immediately, two of the men started fighting over it. Sabas and the one Lucian had called Xristo stayed out of it, simply watching. The Vampires chortled and watched for a moment, too. "Just like dogs!" one exclaimed.

Lucian tensed and watched the guards closely. As soon as they were gone, he stalked over and grabbed one of the fighting men through the bars, slamming him against them. "We are not animals!" he snarled into his ear before letting him go. "Is this what you want? To be their entertainment? Their play things? Their pets? Cowering beneath the whip, and then fighting amongst ourselves! IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT?" I was under the impression that he had the attention of every single Lycan in that block of cells which actually went up a couple stories as well as out. I was almost tempted to shy away from him a little. "I have lived by their rules me entire life. I've protected them, envied them...and for what? To be treated like an animal. We are NOT animals! We DO have a choice! We can choose to be more than this! We can be slaves...or we can be LYCANS!"

No one really responded, mostly because they couldn't without receiving some sort of retribution from the Vampires. Lucian knew this, and simply came and sat by me with a huff. Tentatively, I said, "Inspiring stuff, Lucian. I'm not even a Lycan yet, and I want to believe you." He didn't answer. "You told Sonja that you had to leave. How?"

He sighed and scratched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know that yet."

I leaned closer and breathed, "When you go...will you take me with you?"

He smiled wearily and took my right hand in his left. "It would be my honor."

For some reason, I got the urge to lay my head on his shoulder...and I did. He didn't say a thing, so I tightened my grip on his hand and laced my left arm through his right. As if I wasn't shocked enough by the fact that he allowed me to do all this, he then chose to lean his head against mine. Raze didn't even say anything. It seemed to me that just about anything was acceptable right now seeing that I was soon to have my life changed, and everyone else seemed to agree.

Lucian and I stayed like that for at least 45 minutes. It was only when guards came and opened the door that we parted. They also opened Raze's door, so I knew what this was...and I was terrified. "Come on," one of the guards told me gruffly.

I stood slowly, forcing my legs to hold me up. Lucian rose as well, and as I started towards the door, he murmured, "Be brave, Vera."

I glanced back at him, wishing so much that I could simply hide behind him while he turned into the scary wolf and massacred every Vampire in sight. Then, I looked over at Sabas who was leaning on the bars between the cages. He looked like he wanted to force his way between two of those bars and grab me away. I managed a very slight smile for him just before a guard yanked me out.

They led us humans through a network of halls, and the longer we walked, the louder the sounds of screams and moans grew. I tried to ignore them and focus on the architecture, but that quickly became pointless. Some of the walls looked as thought they were built from the bones and skulls of many humans, but I couldn't tell if they were real or carved, and I didn't really feel the need to find out.

I was behind Raze who kept looking back at me, checking on me, making sure I was still ok. I just wished he'd stop. There was nothing that was going to protect me from this.

They led us up some stairs and into a line, closely guarded by Vampire soldiers. At the top of the stairs, we were immediately faced with our fate. One after the other, humans were being led to a chained, transformed Lycan, and promptly being bitten where the neck runs into the shoulder. Raze started struggling, and Viktor, who was watching over the proceedings, cried, "Wait!" He went to Raze and said, "Do you not realize what I'm giving you is a gift?"

"It's a curse!" Raze responded just before being shoved in range of the Lycan. As soon as he was bitten, the guards took him away, and it was my turn.

There must've been something on my face that made Viktor take pity on me, because he came up to me as well. "It is only a quick moment of pain," he said.

I glanced at him and then back to the Lycan. "Perhaps," I said, barely above a whisper, "but how much pain? And what will come of it?"

"Why don't you find out?" He nodded to his guards, and they practically carried me by my arms to stand before the Lycan. I closed my eyes and clenched my fists so hard that it hurt, but not as much as the bite. I couldn't help but scream when it happened because it felt like there were multiple knives cutting through both sides of my shoulder. But, just as soon as it all happened, they were carrying me away.

I was made to walk back to the cells with the others, and along the way, they snapped one of those collars around my neck. When we arrived, they herded Raze and them into their cell and shoved me back into mine and Lucian's. Lucian had been kneeling by the bars with Sabas, but when he saw we were back, he quickly stood and came to me. I was shaking so badly, I thought I might fall over.

"What have they done to us?" one of the men with Raze cried.

Almost bitterly, Sabas replied, "You'll find out soon enough."

Raze came to the bars and asked, "They turned us like you?"

"Yes," Lucian answered while rubbing my arms, trying to warm me a bit.

"Why?"

"He wants to use you for his own protection."

"I would die first!"

Lucian nodded and walked to him. "Well, that need not happen. The time has come. At sunrise, I leave this place. Anyone willing to take the risk may follow me."

"We're with you," Sabas said for his cell.

"I thought you didn't have a plan," I whispered.

"I had another visit from Sonja while you were away," Lucian said while walking back to me. He brushed my hair out of my face and said, "There is a new life waiting beyond these walls, Vera. You and your comrades can be a part of it. One of us...or stay and serve them."

I looked over at the men I had been brought here with. They were all fearful, but I knew none of them relished the idea of infinite servitude, so I answered for them all. "We will go, Lucian."

He smiled widely. "Excellent." Then, he suddenly seemed to realize something, and he looked up through the bars of the top of the cell at where the moon was just becoming visible through the highest ceiling. His smile faded slowly.

"What is it?"

"You're about to find out some of the more unpleasant details of your immortality."

After a moment, I managed to get out, "We're going to change?" He nodded. "But I thought we couldn't change with these collars on."

"I said it was painful...not that it couldn't be done," Sabas called quietly.

"Technically," Lucian said, "you really can't transform with them on. Not completely, anyway. The silver in the spikes reverts you back to human form."

Even as he spoke, I began to feel the effects of the full moon. All I can really describe it as is pain. A burning, stinging, throbbing pain coursing through my veins, my muscles, and my bones. "Lucian..." I whispered, grabbing at his arms.

"Here." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny key. He stuck it into the lock on my collar, and it quickly fell away, just as I went into writhing convulsions that took me to the floor. It felt like everything in my body was stretching beyond its capacity. My bones were cracking, my skin was pulled tight, and my head felt like it was exploding. I screamed and it came out as a garbled shriek and growl. Lucian backed away until his back was against the wall. Things were becoming very defined and somehow brighter. Sounds like I had never heard were coming out of my mouth and the mouths of the men in the cell beside me. They were the sounds of a monster.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up lying prone on the floor of the cell. The blanket was covering me, though it took me a moment to realize why. I was completely nude. There was a faint glow of sunlight in the prison, and it comforted me a little to see it. I tried to move and I groaned. This set off a chain of reactions. Lucian appeared out of nowhere to help me, Sabas came running from the far side of the other cell to look through the bars, and Raze chuckled wearily, "Yeah, that about sums it up."

"Where's my clothes?" I rasped painfully, pulling the blanket around me as Lucian helped me up.

"I have them piled over there," he answered. "I managed to get them off you just before you changed and ripped them to shreds. I figured, since you didn't have any extras, you would prefer I did that than let you destroy them."

I nodded and immediately wished I hadn't. "Ugh," I moaned, putting a hand to my head. "It feels like my brain is bouncing around in there. I think something came loose during all of that."

Lucian chuckled warmly. "I promise, you're still in one piece, even if you feel like you've split into more. You really handled it quite well. A couple of those guys about tore each other apart. Raze stopped them though."

"Of course he did," I said with a weak smile. I wobbled over to the corner and picked up my clothes. They were in one of the corners adjacent to Sabas' cell. He just watched me. When I stood back up, I met his gaze and said, "I guess you really envy Lucian now. He got to take my clothes off." He rolled his eyes while all his cellmates started laughing and making fun of him. "Lucian, would you be so kind as to hold this blanket up while I dress?"

"Certainly."

I got close to the wall and let him hold the edges of the blanket, creating a shield against prying eyes. I glanced at him while I dressed and was delighted to find that he even had the decency to look away. When I was done, I gently took the blanket from him. "Thank you." He nodded. "So," I began somewhat brightly, "I believe, before that little distraction, we were discussing an escape plan."

"Yes, we were," he said, growing quiet. "The plan is this: we will wait until just before dawn, when the head of the guards does his rounds. I will remove my collar, and hide here in the shadows, transformed. When he comes in to investigate my absence..."

"You will burst out of the shadows and claw out his filthy little neck."

"Well...yes, that's the idea," he replied with a grin. "Then, you and I will release the others."

"I assume you know a quick way out of this fortress."

"Mhm. The only concern will be to go undetected. Not every Vampire sleeps during the day. Some stand guard in the shadows."

"Paranoid creatures, aren't they?"

He grinned. "I suppose you could call them that."

"Excellent! So...what do we do in the meantime?"

"Just hang out, I guess."

I huffed. "I've been 'hanging out' in this cell for too long already!"

"Agreed," Raze chimed in.

"Well, what else do you suggest we do?" Sabas snapped.

"You don't have to yell," I replied shortly.

"I didn't!"

"What the hell is your problem?"

"Nothing!"

"You really are being driven crazy by me being this close, aren't you?" I promptly stomped across the cell to where he was still leaning with his head between a couple bars, hoping to goodness that those bars were far enough apart to allow my head through. When I stopped, I simply went for it, and it worked. My head was skinny enough to fit through the bars far enough so that I could roughly press my lips against his. Our noses kind of collided in the process, and I'll admit that the pain almost brought tears to my eyes, but I don't think he even noticed. I broke away quickly, and without another word, moodily crossed to the opposite side to sit by Raze. I heard Sabas' intake of breath before speaking, so I cut him off. "Don't _even_ comment." No one said a thing.

Finally, after a couple minutes, quiet conversation recommenced. Raze slid down next to me, smiling from ear to ear. "That was entertaining."

"It wasn't meant to be," I replied dispassionately. "I just hope it helped him cool down a little."

He chuckled. "If anything, it just heated him up more."

I shrugged. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it right now, anyway."

"There's nothing _we_ can do about it? You really like him, don't you? Admit it!" he whispered.

I glared at him, on the verge of smacking him through the bars. "He's cute! I've already admitted that."

"But you like him! You think he's fun to be around."

"Not when he's acting like this!"

"You already sound like you're married."

"ACH! You're no help!" I exclaimed, drawing a couple stares. I wanted to go sit with Lucian, but I figured he would probably choose the same subject for conversation, so I didn't budge. "Right now, it doesn't matter how I feel, or what I think. We're still stuck in here, and until we get out alive, it just doesn't matter."

"Why won't you just accept it? Is it because you only just met him? Really, Vera, I think you make a good pair!"

"And until we get out of here alive, it doesn't matter what you think either!" I responded coldly.

He rolled his eyes and settled a little more against the bars. "I think you're just being contrary."

"I don't care what you think."

"Ok, let me rephrase. Vera...and this is fact...you are being contrary."

"And you are being annoying," I finished before getting up and walking to the door to look out.

I spent the next couple hours avoiding everyone. I always made sure I was as far away from Sabas as I could be, and then as far away from Raze, and then Lucian. They quickly picked up on this, and managed to get me cornered so that Lucian was close enough to whisper to me without anyone else really hearing. "You're avoiding me," he murmured as he sat down next to me.

"I'm avoiding everyone," I replied unhappily.

"Because of that thing with Sabas?" I didn't answer which led him to assume yes. "You needn't be embarrassed."

"I'm not!" I roared. Just about everyone within 30 yards stared at me. I glanced around, then hunkered down, my cheeks and ears extremely red. "Now, I kind of am," I muttered.

He laughed and ruffled my hair while I moodily yanked my head out of his reach. "I take it you don't do well with captivity."

"Not very."

"Well, don't worry. We'll soon be out of here. About 15 hours and we'll be free."

"Assuming your little plan works."

He nodded. "Yes, that had occurred to me."

I smiled a little. He had this way of making me feel better just by looking at me, and I really found it disconcerting. "I'm sorry for yelling at you," I said quietly.

"I understand. You're stressed, you're scared, and you have this innate personal requirement to be strong. None of those things mix very well."

"No, they do not." I waited a moment before asking, "Should I apologize to Sabas?"

He shrugged. "Only if you want to."

I sighed unhappily and rubbed my temples. "He was very nice to me when we first arrived. And I totally understand why he's so taken with me."

"You do?"

"He's sex deprived. I'm surprised they all haven't been trying to grab me through the bars."

"Have you even considered the idea that he might actually think you're pretty and fun to be around?"

"Why should I? It isn't the case."

He scowled lightly at me. "You may find yourself mistaken once we're out of this hell."

"We'll see."

Neither of us said anything for a while, but Lucian eventually broke the silence. "So, are you gonna go talk to him?"

"I don't know."

"I think you should."

"Why?"

"Because he likes you, you like him..."

I shook my head in disbelief. "Why do you all assume I like him?"

"You kissed him."

"To make a point!"

He just held up his hands in surrender. "You do whatever you want to do. I'm just saying that I think you should talk to him."

He got up and wandered away, leaving me alone. I sighed and laid my head on my knees. I did like Sabas; I liked him a lot; but it just didn't feel right to me. I had just met him, the circumstances were far from ideal, and I was scared. I was scared of everything and everyone in this place, including myself.

Finally, after some more thought on the matter, I decided to apologize. I got up and meekly made my way to the bars separating the cells. "Sabas?" I murmured. He rose on the far side and crossed to me, sticking his arms through the bars and leaning on the horizontal one. He didn't say anything, so I pressed on. "I wanted to apologize. I kind of lost my cool for no good reason earlier, and I'm sorry."

A small smile touched his lips and he replied, "So did I, and I too apologize. I can't even imagine how this must be for you, but I'm sure you don't need my stupidity on top of it all. I'm sorry."

"I think we managed to meet each other at one of the worst points of our lives."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Although, who we are in the worst of times tends to be our true identity."

"You're very insightful for a servant boy," I replied with a smirk.

Chuckling, he shifted his weight to his other foot. "Well done," he commented.

"Thank you! I thought it was rather clever."

"So, are we ok now? No more yelling and fighting about stupid things?"

"No more," I conceded. "We have more important things to worry about."

"Like our impending freedom."

"Precisely. We'll be of no help to anyone if we're bickering the whole way out."

"Right."

With that settled, we found ourselves lacking something to talk about. I kept finding my eyes drawn to his hand, resting motionless on the metal bar. I had always been a girl for hands and arms. His arms were to die for. All that manual labor had really built up his muscles. The only thing that bugged me about his hands was his fingernails. They were kind of funny looking. I wasn't sure how to describe them. He followed my gaze and flexed his fingers. "What?"

"Nothing," I answered quickly. He raised an eyebrow, knowing that I was hiding something. I looked away and murmured, "You have sexy hands."

I glanced at him sheepishly to see him scowling to himself a bit. "Is that all?"

I snorted a laugh and covered my mouth to suppress it. Then, drawing a little courage from his relatively playful reaction, I told him, "No. No, that's not all." Slowly, I reached up and slid my fingers down his arm from the shoulder to his hand, admiring the extent of his musculature. "Your arms are rather sexy, too."

"Well, I suppose that's a slight improvement."

"What do you want me to say?" I laughed. "We're surrounded by people. I'll fill you in on my complete thoughts when we're alone."

"Oooh," he murmured with a terribly foxy grin.

"Knock it off," I told him, shoving him backwards a little.

He laughed and consented. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry."

"You better be," I teased.

With the mood lightened, he and I talked for hours while we waited for night to come and go. Occasionally, I caught a glance of Lucian and Raze watching us with huge grins on their faces, and I was very tempted to go whack the grins right off.

However, as morning approached, the air grew tense with anticipation, and we all basically fell silent. Sabas and I went back to the hand-holding thing, and Lucian began to pace the length of the cell. Finally, he spun to me. "The time has come, Vera."

I stood. "What do you want me to do?" I inquired.

"Just stay out of my way." He unlocked his collar and threw it to the floor, then handed me the key. "Stay over there by the bars. I don't want to accidentally catch you up in this. Sabas, keep an eye on her, yeah?"

"Of course," he answered, standing. I backed up against the bars and locked the fingers of one hand around them, while Sabas took hold of the other. Quite suddenly, Lucian transformed. It was almost silent, and that shocked me a little. Then, he backed into the shadows of the cell. I honestly could barely make him out in the murkiness.

I jumped and gripped Sabas' hand tighter when the Vampire guard came over. "New dogs today! Let's see how they look!" he said as he approached my cell. He saw Lucian's collar and an expression of shock crossed his face.

"You've come too late," Sabas called. "He's already gone." The guard unlocked the door and came in, only to find Lucian's razor sharp teeth tearing into his neck. I had jumped even worse when Lucian emerged, roaring. Sabas gently stuck his other arm through the bars and wrapped it around my chest. I glanced at him as Lucian destroyed the guard. He was grinning. I looked back at the bloody scene in front of me, and found that I was even fighting a smile. Quietly, Sabas murmured, "Just smile. You know you want to," into my ear. A little shamefully, I allowed a small smile to spread across my face.

Once the Vampire was dispatched, Lucian reverted to human form, still snarling, and covered in blood. "ARE YOU WITH ME?" he roared. The entire cell block replied accordingly with roars of approval.

Sabas released me, and I ran over, grabbing the keys from the body of the Vampire. Then, I ran out and unlocked his cell. "Well, come on!" I told them, grinning. Then, I ran to Raze's cell and unlocked it.

Lucian commanded, "Sabas, Xristo, bring the others!"

I tossed the keys to Sabas, then quickly followed after Lucian. Soon, our party grew to at least 100. Lucian led the way through the winding corridors until we came to a spot that was exposed to the outer courtyard. He held up a hand, and I slid to a stop beside him. He waited for some guards to pass out of sight before patting me on the shoulder as the go ahead. I jogged out on the balls of my feet to be quieter, and I tried to stay hunched down. I was about half-way across when there came this terribly loud crashing noise behind me. One Lycan had tripped over a bucket and knocked loose a large rock, and both went rolling down the wall. "GO! RUN!" Lucian hissed loudly. I picked up my pace and made it across, then I just kept following the hall until Lucian could catch up. It was only a few moments before he did.

I thought we were going to make it, but then one of those huge arrows from the crossbows I had seen earlier came flying through a window, and it skewered two Lycans to the wall. "No!" I cried. Lucian just kept pushing me forward.

"GO, Vera!"

We all stampeded through the hall, trying to avoid being hit by the arrows that were now flying in all the windows. At one point, I rounded a corner that had a wooded door that led to the courtyard. About 15 others came after me, and then, the door became a pincushion of arrows. They lodged into the stone wall and became a wall themselves. The majority of our group was now trapped behind it, cut off from the rest of us. I ran back, desperate to pull a few through. "Help!" I cried to the others.

Lucian ran back and grabbed my arm. "There is nothing you can do! Keep going!" Totally against my will, I allowed Sabas to grab my hand and pull me along as Lucian told the trapped ones, "I will come back! I promise you!"

Our now significantly diminished party continued through the dark halls. We didn't meet resistance until our final door was visible. There were two guards headed right for us, so Lucian rushed forward and took them out the door with him. I was a little frightened when I saw him drop out of sight. How high were we? I hesitated for a moment at the edge of the precipice, unwilling to simply leap off. Sabas, in one smooth movement, grabbed me up and jumped out. We landed easily, on our feet, directly next to Lucian and the piles of ash that had been the Vampire guards not a minute ago. "The forest! Now! Go!" Lucian told us.

We obeyed and took off sprinting towards the safety of the woods. I looked back once. Lucian was staring Viktor down, but eventually, the Vampire Elder had to withdraw, for the sun had risen above the mountains, and its deadly rays threatened to reduce him into smoldering dust. Once he had retreated back into his fortress, Lucian turned to join us.

We broke the tree line, and I immediately plopped down on a large stone, gasping for breath. Sabas laughed a little, and said, "I had no idea you were so out of shape."

"Shut up!" I replied breathlessly. The others soon joined us and we began taking our collars off as we waited for Lucian. "Here he comes," I said when he appeared coming out from behind one of the huge stones that littered the field between the woods and the castle.

"Took him long enough," Sabas said with a smile.

I chuckled and went to stand in front of him. That's when I noticed there was blood running down the back of his arm. "You're hurt!" I exclaimed as I spun him around to look.

A little taken off guard by my sudden spinning, he stumbled a little, then replied, "Yeah. An arrow caught me. I'm fine though." There was a deep slice in his shoulder blade, and I was convinced it would get infected and scar, but he repeated, "I'm fine, Vera. It'll heal. You're still thinking like a human." He spun back around to face me. "Start thinking like a Lycan."

I smiled, but had no time to reply before Lucian came jogging over. Xristo was just getting his collar off, and he commented, "I've never been outside the walls."

"Well, enjoy it while you can, Xristo," Lucian told him, "because soon enough we're going to have to fight our way back in. Not all of us made it out, and I will not leave our brothers to rot back there. We humiliated Viktor. It is they who will pay the cost."

"But we were lucky to make it out alive," Sabas argued.

"He's right," I agreed. "And there's but a handful of us. We have no weapons."

Lucian nodded. "True. Vera, Raze, the noble who brought you here. Can you lead us back to his estate?" I nodded, pretty certain I knew the way, and looked to Raze for his response.

He too nodded, and said, "Yes."

"Good. Come on!" We ran off, following Raze into the woods.


End file.
